Saturday, June 26, 2010

UFC blog for latest news, videos, results, betting odds, fighter interviews and MMA rumors - UFCmania.com

UFC blog for latest news, videos, results, betting odds, fighter interviews and MMA rumors - UFCmania.com


Strikeforce odds and betting lines for 'Fedor vs Werdum' on June 26

Posted: 26 Jun 2010 05:00 AM PDT

Bet Now!

The clock is ticking to get your bets in for Strikeforce: "Fedor vs. Werdum" — it’ll be here in just a few hours.

The Showtime televised event from the HP Pavilion in San Jose, California, begins tonight at 10 p.m. ET. That means, of course, that you should start to think about placing possible bets on the fight outcomes before it’s too late.

"Fedor vs. Werdum" will feature the long-awaited heavyweight showdown between top ranked heavyweight enigma Fedor Emelianenko (-550) and jiu-jitsu wizard Fabricio Werdum (+325).

Several of the promotion’s other top fighters will be in action on the card as well, including 145-pound Women's Champion Cristiane Santos (-1800) as she "Cuddles" with Jan Finney (+750).

Any fantasy oddsmakers think "Cyborg" is getting too much respect? Or that Scott Smith (+225) can make lighting strike twice against Cung Le (-350)? Well, then, put your money where your mouth is, Maniacs.

Here are the latest Strikeforce: "Fedor vs. Werdum" odds (- = favorite; + = underdog):

Fedor Emelianenko -550 BET NOW
Fabricio Werdum +325 BET NOW
Cristiane Santos -1800 BET NOW
Jan Finney +750 BET NOW
Josh Thomson -500 BET NOW
Pat Healy +300 BET NOW
Cung Le -350 BET NOW
Scott Smith +225 BET NOW

 

Time to put up or shut up for all us keyboard warriors -- get in on the action before it’s too late.

Remember that MMAmania.com will provide LIVE blow-by-blow, round-by-round coverage of Strikeforce: "Fedor vs. Werdum," beginning with the Showtime telecast at 10 p.m. ET. In addition, we will deliver up-to-the-minute quick results of all the under card action much earlier on fight night.

It’s going to be an exciting evening of fights so don’t miss it. And remember to check us out for all the pre, during and post-fight Strikeforce coverage you can handle.

To check out our complete "Fedor vs. Werdum" archive click here.

UFC 116: Ricardo Romero vs Seth Petruzelli promoted to Spike TV's 'UFC Prelims' on July 3

Posted: 26 Jun 2010 04:30 AM PDT

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UFC newcomer Ricardo Romero was probably content just getting a chance to fight for the UFC. Now he gets to do it on Spike TV's "UFC Prelims" lead-in special to the UFC 116: "Lesnar vs. Carwin" pay-per-view against Seth Petruzelli on July 3.

MMAmania.com confirmed the line-up change with a source close to the situation earlier today.

Romero vs. Petruzelli will be replacing the middleweight scrap between Kendall Grove and Goran Reljic, which made its way onto the unaired portion of the preliminary card after "Da Spyder" found himself mired in a public feud with the cable television network.

While it probably stinks to be Goran Reljic, there's little doubt that one of the sport's more colorful characters (both figuratively and literally), Seth Petruzelli, will try and take this opportunity to reacquaint himself with UFC fans, who haven't seen "The Silverback" inside the Octagon since a submission loss to Wilson Gouveia in 2007.

Here's an updated look at the recently reshuffled UFC 116 fight card.

Main event:

265 lbs.: Brock Lesnar vs. Shane Carwin

Main card (Televised):

185 lbs.: Yoshihiro Akiyama vs. Chris Leben
170 lbs.: Matt Brown vs. Chris Lytle
155 lbs.: Kurt Pellegrino vs. George Sotiropoulos
205 lbs.: Stephan Bonnar vs. Krzysztof Soszynski

UFC Prelims (Spike TV broadcast):

265 lbs.: Brendan Schaub vs. Chris Tuchscherer
205 lbs.: Seth Petruzelli vs. Ricardo Romero

Under card (May not be broadcast):

185 lbs.: Dave Branch vs. Gerald Harris
265 lbs.: Jon Madsen vs. Karlos Vemola
170 lbs.: Kendall Grove vs. Goran Reljic
170 lbs.: Daniel Roberts vs. Forrest Petz

Remember that MMAmania.com will provide LIVE blow-by-blow, round-by-round coverage of UFC 116 beginning with the PPV telecast at 10 p.m. ET on Saturday, July 3. In addition, we will deliver up-to-the-minute quick results of all the under card action much earlier on fight night.

To get up to speed on the "Lesnar vs. Carwin" event be sure to check out the complete UFC 116 archive by clicking here.

UFC rankings/MMA rankings featured in USA Today for June 2010

Posted: 26 Jun 2010 04:15 AM PDT

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Our partners in crime over at BloodyElbow.com have once again published their divisional rankings for mixed martial arts in the nation’s largest daily newspaper, USA Today, for the month of June 2010.

For those of you unfamiliar with the process, here’s how it works:

"The rankings, which will offer a definitive perspective of top MMA fighters across all weight-classes, will be released monthly and published in the Sports section of USA TODAY, online at USATODAY.com and on SB Nation’s MMA commentary and community blog, BloodyElbow.com … The USA TODAY/SB Nation Consensus MMA Rankings are compiled each month by Nate Wilcox and Richard Wade of BloodyElbow.com. The rankings utilize each of the top MMA rankings from multiple unique sources. A weighted-formula is applied to normalize and distill the various rankings into one consensus ranking per weight class."

To check out the latest USAT/SBN rankings click here. We’ve also listed their top 10 in each class after the jump for your convenience.

Heavyweight:

1. Fedor Emelianenko
2. Brock Lesnar
3. Shane Carwin
4. Cain Velasquez
5. Frank Mir
6. Junior dos Santos
7. Alistair Overeem
8. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira
9. Fabricio Werdum
10. Josh Barnett

Light Heavyweight:

1. Mauricio Rua
2. Lyoto Machida
3. Rashad Evans
4. Quinton Jackson
5. Anderson Silva
6. Forrest Griffin
7. Antonio Rogerio Nogueira
8. Muhammed Lawal
9. Gegard Mousasi
10. Thiago Silva

Middleweight:

1. Anderson Silva
2. Chael Sonnen
3. Jake Shields
4. Nate Marquardt
5. Vitor Belfort
6. Demian Maia
7. Dan Henderson
8. Yushin Okami
9. Jorge Santiago
10. Robbie Lawler

Welterweight:

1. Georges St. Pierre
2. Jon Fitch
3. Thiago Alves
4. Josh Koscheck
5. Nick Diaz
6. Dan Hardy
7. Martin Kampmann
8. Matt Hughes
9. Paulo Thiago
10. Paul Daley

Lightweight:

1. Frank Edgar
2. B.J. Penn
3. Gilbert Melendez
4. Kenny Florian
5. Eddie Alvarez
6. Gray Maynard
7. Shinya Aoki
8. Tatsuya Kawajiri
9. Sean Sherk
10. Benson Henderson

Featherweight:

1. Jose Aldo
2. Manny Gamburyan
3. Mike Brown
3. Urijah Faber
5. Bibiano Fernandes
6. Hatsu Hioki
7. Marlon Sandro
8. Michihiro Omigawa
9. Josh Grispi
10. Masanori Kanehara

Bantamweight:

1. Dominick Cruz
2. Brian Bowles
3. Joseph Benavidez
4. Miguel Torres
5. Scott Jorgensen
6. Takeya Mizugaki
7. Masakatsu Ueda
8. Wagnney Fabiano
9. Rani Yahya
10. Charlie Valencia

What do you think? How much will these rankings change after Strikeforce: "Fedor vs. Werdum" on June 26 and UFC 116: "Lesnar vs. Carwin" on July 3?

Share your ranking rants in the comments section below.

Watch Strikeforce: 'Fedor vs Werdum' online with 'All Access' tonight (June 26)

Posted: 26 Jun 2010 04:00 AM PDT

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Fans who don't have Showtime as part of their cable or satellite package can still catch all the action from Strikeforce: "Fedor vs. Werdum" via live Internet stream tonight (June 26, 2010) from the HP Pavilion in San Jose, California.

For $24.95 per user, Strikeforce: "All Access" will stream simultaneously with the live Showtime telecast beginning at 10 p.m. ET and then provide an on-demand replay through July 1, 2010.

To order Strikeforce: Fedor vs. Werdum "All Access" click here (http://strikeforce.sho.com) now.

From Strikeforce:

With Strikeforce: All Access, fans can be their own director and toggle among five live cameras with full pause and rewind capabilities including Showtime Sports exclusive CageCam®—a small, high quality camera worn by the referee which takes viewers inside the cage during the fights. Audio tracks will include the Showtime telecast fight call by host and play-by-play announcer Mauro Ranallo, and color commentators Frank Shamrock and Stephen Quadros, as well as the corresponding audio to the selected camera. Showtime is again working with BitGravity, Inc. and Episodic, Inc. to enable this unique multi-media experience. All Access fans also will receive a live Twitter feed from the event and can join behind-the scenes staff in tweeting about "Strikeforce" and "Showtime Sports" during the evening. Through a Facebook® Connect application, fans will be able to make predictions, comment on the live fights, discuss outcomes and more directly on the All Access page.

"Fedor vs. Werdum" will feature the long-awaited heavyweight showdown between top ranked heavyweight enigma Fedor Emelianenko and jiu-jitsu wizard Fabricio Werdum.

Several of the promotion’s other top fighters will be in action on the card as well, including 145-pound Women's Champion Cristiane "Cyborg" Santos as she "Cuddles" with Jan Finney.

In addition, Scott Smith and Cung Le are scheduled to hook 'em up in a rematch from their December 2009 bout in which "Hands of Steel" won via last-minute miracle (as usual).

Remember that MMAmania.com will provide LIVE blow-by-blow, round-by-round coverage of Strikeforce: "Fedor vs. Werdum," beginning with the Showtime telecast at 10 p.m. ET. In addition, we will deliver up-to-the-minute quick results of all the under card action much earlier on fight night.

It’s going to be a fun night of fights so don’t miss it. And remember to check us out for all the pre, during and post-fight "Fedor vs. Werdum" coverage you can handle.

Strikeforce results, updates and live play-by-play TONIGHT (June 26) for 'Fedor vs Werdum'

Posted: 26 Jun 2010 03:46 AM PDT

Strikeforce Results

Click the banner above or right here for up-to-the-minute results and blow-by-blow coverage of Strikeforce: "Fedor vs. Werdum."

Quick results of the preliminary fights will begin to flow around 8 p.m. ET and round-by-round coverage of the main card action on Showtime will get started at 10 p.m. ET!

If you’re going to leave comments and discuss the fights with all the other MMAmania.com readers be sure to do it on the main Strikeforce: "Fedor vs. Werdum" results post and not this one. Comments in this thread are turned off.

Enjoy the show, Maniacs!

Frank Mir vs Heath Herring video from 'Circle of Pain'

Posted: 25 Jun 2010 09:59 PM PDT

Strikeforce weigh in photos gallery for 'Fedor vs Werdum'

Posted: 25 Jun 2010 07:34 PM PDT

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Props: CombatLifestyle.com (Click the link to check out the entire gallery).

"Cyborg" Santos "Cuddles" with Jan Finney after the jump. For complete Strikeforce: "Fedor vs. Werdum" weigh in results click here.

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UFC 116 video predictions from the pros for 'Lesnar vs Carwin' on July 3

Posted: 25 Jun 2010 05:36 PM PDT

Who you got?

Strikeforce weigh in results LIVE from San Jose for 'Fedor vs Werdum'

Posted: 25 Jun 2010 03:40 PM PDT

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The official weigh-in event for Strikeforce: "Fedor vs. Werdum" is in the books. The pre-fight festivities took place earlier this evening (June 25) at the HP Pavilion Concourse in San Jose, California.

Undercard fighter Derrick Burnsed was the lone competitor to weigh-in heavy. The commission has given him two hours to shed just under a pound, which would put him right at the 156 pound division limit for his lightweight battle against Bobby Stack.

Each of the other fifteen fighters hit their respective marks without incident, including both heavyweight main event participants, Fedor Emelianenko and Fabricio Werdum.   

Complete Strikeforce: "Fedor vs. Werdum" weigh in results after the jump:

Main event:

265 lbs.: Fedor Emelianenko (229) vs. Fabricio Werdum (238.5)

Main card (Televised):

185 lbs.: Cung Le (184.75) vs. Scott "Hands of Steel" Smith (184.75)
145 lbs.: Cristiane "Cyborg" Santos (144.5) vs. Jan "Cuddles" Finney (143.5)
155 lbs.: Pat "Bam Bam" Healy (155.25) vs. Josh "The Punk" Thomson (155.25)

Under card (May not be broadcast):

175 lbs.: Chris Cope (175) vs. Ron Keslar (173.75)
170 lbs.: Bret Bergmark (168.75) vs. Vagner Rocha (171)
185 lbs.: Gareth Joseph (185.25) vs. Yancey Medeiros (184.25)
155 lbs.: Derrick Burnsed (156.75) vs. Bobby Stack (154.5)

 

Remember that MMAmania.com will provide LIVE blow-by-blow, round-by-round coverage of Strikeforce: "Fedor vs. Werdum," beginning with the Showtime telecast at 10 p.m. ET. In addition, we will deliver up-to-the-minute quick results of all the under card action much earlier on fight night.

It’s going to be a fun night of fights so don’t miss it. And remember to check us out for all the pre, during and post-fight "Fedor vs. Werdum" coverage you can handle.

'Cyborg' Manifesto: MMAmania.com interview exclusive with Strikeforce champion Cristiane Santos

Posted: 25 Jun 2010 12:13 PM PDT

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Cristiane Santos has yet to be truly tested since she set foot in the United States in 2008.

It has been five up and five down for the Brazilian powerhouse including victories over Shayna Baszler, Gina Carano and Marloes Coenen. .

"Cyborg" will look to continue her dominance as she puts her title on the line against Jan Finney at the Strikeforce: "Fedor vs. Werdum" event on June 26 at the HP Pavilion in San Jose, California.

Since my Portuguese Rosetta Stone was lost in the mail I enlisted the help of her manager, Flavio Scorsato, to help facilitate the interview.

We talked about her transition to living and training full-time in the United States, Strikeforce assigning opponents at the last minute and singing Black Eyed Peas at the top of her lungs.

Check it out:

Derek Bolender (MMAmania.com): I wanted to start by asking Cris if she was now living and training in San Diego at The Arena full-time?

Cris Cyborg (via Flavio Scorsato): She wants to thank you for the interview. She says she is living full time in San Diego now and most of the time she trains at The Arena. She does do specific training like Muay Thai and boxing at other places. Definitely the place for her camp is The Arena.

Derek Bolender (MMAmania.com): Does that mean she has left Chute Boxe for good?

Cris Cyborg (via Flavio Scorsato): She still considers Chute Boxe her team. It's always going to be her team. They just don't have anything here in San Diego in the city she lives in and that's why she's been training at The Arena. They've been supporting her but her team is still Chute Boxe. She just thinks it's better for her to be in the United States.

Derek Bolender (MMAmania.com): What is the most difficult thing she has encountered while getting acclimated to living in the US?

Cris Cyborg (via Flavio Scorsato): She says when she first moved here everything was new and everything was fun and different. Now the most difficult part is the distance from the family. She is very attached to her Mom and her family. She's homesick. The language barrier too. She's still learning English.

Derek Bolender (MMAmania.com): Is she a fan of any American music or TV shows yet? If so, what?

Cris Cyborg (via Flavio Scorsato): Actually, she mainly watches movies. She loves to watch anything related to fighting. She watches a lot of fight stuff on the Internet too. The only thing she likes to watch on TV is Oprah. As far as American music she likes a lot of stuff on the radio but she doesn't know most of the names. She really likes the Black Eyed Peas. She also loves to sing in her car. Whenever she drives she is singing.

Derek Bolender (MMAmania.com): Cris is coming off a nice victory over Marloes Coenen in January of this year. Coenen was not happy with the referee stoppage that night. Did she think it was justified?

Cris Cyborg (via Flavio Scorsato): She said Marloes was on the ground flinching and just defending. She doesn't know sometimes because of the angle that the referee sees stuff. It's different so she doesn't know if he could see what Marloes was doing - If she was defending or just doing nothing. She was just doing her part. She thinks it was legit, but whatever the referee decides that is what it is.

Derek Bolender (MMAmania.com): Was Coenen the toughest opponent she has faced in her entire career?

Cris Cyborg (via Flavio Scorsato): She says she doesn't see any of the opponents as the toughest one or any of the fights. All the fights are the same thing. They always have something difficult. They always have something challenging. She has to switch her technique specifically for each fight. Sometimes she needs to train more on the ground. Sometimes she needs to train more standup. She can't tell who is the toughest. Each fight is a specific challenge.

Derek Bolender (MMAmania.com): Jan Finney is her next opponent on June 26. Strikeforce has been known to give their fighters an opponent at the last minute. Is she okay with this?

Cris Cyborg (via Flavio Scorsato): She would love to know. It is always better if she knows who she is going to fight. Her point of view is that a fighter is a fighter. You have to be training all the time. Someone could call you up and you have got to be ready. She doesn't mind. She always tries to train the hardest and the earlier she knows the more specific her training can be.

Derek Bolender (MMAmania.com): Cris has looked extremely dominant since she started fighting in the US both in EliteXC and Strikeforce. Does she feel like she still has room to improve on her game?

Cris Cyborg (via Flavio Scorsato): She definitely has a lot of room for improvement. She has been fighting for a long time, but every time she can see the mistakes she made. She always knows she can correct something and get better and better at other stuff. She says that if she starts thinking she is the best then she would be making a big mistake.

Derek Bolender (MMAmania.com): None of her opponents have really been able to expose any sort of definitive weakness in her game. What does she think is her biggest weakness if she had to pick one?

Cris Cyborg (via Flavio Scorsato): She thinks one of the most important things in a fight is you have to be very prepared physically. Her mind is like 70-80%. It doesn't matter if she knows a lot of things. You can't show up for a fight if you are not prepared physically. She knows in every single area she has stuff to improve on. She would rather have her opponents show her what are her weakest points.

Derek Bolender (MMAmania.com): Cris has finished seven of her nine opponents by way of knockout. Does she go into each fight specifically looking for the knockout?

Cris Cyborg (via Flavio Scorsato): She definitely always welcomes the knockout, but a good match is a good match. She goes into the fight to win. She would be happy with a knockout, but if she can win by other means like submitting that is welcomed too.

Derek Bolender (MMAmania.com): Are there any female fighters out there that she has not fought that she would like to?

Cris Cyborg (via Flavio Scorsato): She said that she does not have anyone in mind that she wants to fight. She doesn't know anyone, but she has open doors. Whoever wants to fight her she is going to be happy to fight.

Derek Bolender (MMAmania.com): Any message that she would like to pass along to her fans or any sponsors she would like to thank?

Cris Cyborg (via Flavio Scorsato): She wants to thank all the American fans first of all. She is far from home but feels very welcome. She is happy to have the American fanbase. She really loves the audience here and she is happy to fight for them. She wants to thank Tapout and Hitman Fight Gear. She also wants to thank The Arena MMA team.

Derek Bolender (MMAmania.com): Thanks to both of you for your time.

Cris Cyborg (via Flavio Scorsato): Thank you, Derek. Thank you.

Derek Bolender is a frequent contributor to MMAmania.com. He is also a freelance writer who has contributed to outlets such as CBSSports.com, FoxSports.com, and FIGHT! Magazine. Follow him on Twitter at @DerekBolender and on Facebook.

UFC 116: Yoshihiro Akiyama vs Chris Leben official for July 3 in Las Vegas

Posted: 25 Jun 2010 11:14 AM PDT

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Sexy or not, here he comes.

Yoshihiro Akiyama will officially face Chris Leben at UFC 116: "Lesnar vs. Carwin," the promotion announced today. This comes just days after "Sexyama's" original opponent, Wanderlei Silva, was forced to withdraw from the event after injuring his ribs and knee in training camp.

The former DREAM and K-1 star was initially hesitant to face the free-swinging brawler on such short notice, but fortunately he was persuaded to accept the bout and move forward with his preparations.

"The Crippler" (20-6) is fresh off a second round stoppage over the ultra-tough Aaron Simpson this past Saturday night (June 19) at The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 11 Finale in Las Vegas.

It was his second straight win after dropping a pair of fights in a tumultuous two year span that also saw the former TUF star get popped for steroids.

No question a win over Akiyama in what may be the biggest pay-per-view event of the year would effectively complete his improbable comeback.

UFC 116 will feature a titanic heavyweight showdown between division champion Brock Lesnar and interim titlist Shane Carwin. It marks the return of the promotion's biggest box office draw, Lesnar, who will return from a career-threatening intestinal problem to once again establish himself as the undisputed man among men.

"Lesnar vs. Carwin" will also feature a lightweight showdown between Kurt Pellegrino and George Sotiropolous, as well as a highly-anticipated rematch between Stephan Bonnar and Krzysztof Soszynski.

For all the latest UFC 116 news and notes click here.

PWP: Tim Sylvia vs Paul Buentello ready for 'War on the Mainland' on August 14

Posted: 25 Jun 2010 10:42 AM PDT

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In a match up of past-their-prime UFC heavyweight veterans, Tim Sylvia and Paul Buentello are set to throwdown on August 14 at Powerhouse World Promotions: "War on the Mainland" from the Bren Events Center in Irvine, California.

Sherdog has the fight announcement.

Last seen in May pounding strongman Mariusz Pudzianowski into submission at Moosin 1, "The Maine-iac" has put together back-to-back wins since being slept in nine seconds by one Ray Mercer last Summer.

Prior to his surprising defeat at the hands, literally, of Mr. Mercer, Sylvia had lost to Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira and Fedor Emelianenko in consecutive fashion, not exactly a punishable crime.

"The Headhunter" most recently fought at Shark Fights 11, just one day after the much ballyhooed Sylvia vs. Pudzianowski contest, where he defeated Bryan Humes via unanimous decision.

Before that bout, Buentello competed in two fights in the UFC after spending three years bouncing around between Strikeforce and Affliction after his initial release from Zuffa back in 2006, losing to Stefan Struve Struve and Cheick Kongo.

While neither fighter will find themselves competing in meaningful match ups in the heavyweight division with a win, a victory would ensure at least a couple more healthy paychecks for one of these former elite fighters.

UFC 116: Shane Carwin shaves his head for Brock Lesnar superfight on July 3 (Pic)

Posted: 25 Jun 2010 09:12 AM PDT

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UFC Interim Heavyweight Champion Shane Carwin inks a deal with HeadBlade, the Culver City-based men's grooming company. Will he go "against the grain" while rocking the Kojak on July 3?

Strikeforce: 'Fedor vs Werdum' predictions, preview and analysis

Posted: 25 Jun 2010 08:43 AM PDT

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Strikeforce and M-1 Global will join forces once again tomorrow night (June 26) to bring a Fedor Emelianenko fight to U.S. soil. Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt Fabricio Werdum will be the latest to challenge the man widely believed to be the top heavyweight mixed martial artist on the planet.

"Fedor vs. Werdum" will take place at the HP Pavilion in San Jose, California, and the four-fight main card will air live on Showtime, beginning at 10 p.m. ET.

Strikeforce Women's Champion (145 pounds) Cristiane "Cyborg" Santos will be in action on the card as well, defending her title against Jan "Cuddles" Finney -- a winner of four straight.

Two other former champions will also be on hand, as Josh "The Punk" Thomson and Cung Le look to get back into title contention when they square off against Pat "Bam Bam" Healy and Scott "Hands of Steel" Smith, respectively.

To help get you better prepared for tomorrow night's festivities, I've given some quick analysis and predictions for the main card below. Check it out.

265 lbs.: Fedor "The Last Emperor" Emelianenko vs. Fabricio "Vai Cavalo" Werdum

There's really nothing to like about this match-up from Werdum's perspective. His stand up isn't good enough to trade with Fedor for three rounds without getting knocked out or losing on the cards. His wrestling isn't good enough to take Fedor down and maintain the top position. And working off his back would be suicide, I don't care how good his jiu-jitsu is.

Basically, unless Fedor comes out and just hands over his arm, Fabricio Werdum is not going to win this fight.

Surely Fedor likes his chances on his feet and I imagine that's where he'll try to keep the fight. I expect Werdum to come out extremely cautious and defensive, though, and that should take away Fedor's big counter right hand. Fedor is still the better boxer, though, and I can't imagine a scenario in which Werdum outstrikes him.

I hate to say it, but this fight is going to be a snorer. Werdum isn't going to want to engage on his feet and he's not going to have any success getting this fight to the ground where he can use his jiu-jitsu, either. And even if he did, Fedor's submission skills are arguably as good as his anyway.

Werdum is going to play keep away, so I think this thing goes the full fifteen minutes. But Fedor isn't going to lose.

Bring on Alistair.

Final prediction: Fedor Emelianenko via unanimous decision.

185 lbs.: Cung Le vs. Scott "Hands of Steel" Smith

Cung Le dominated the first fight between these two, and that was after almost two years on the sidelines. There's no reason to believe he won't do the same in the rematch. The only difference will be that he'll actually win this time.

Scott Smith has decent technique, but let's face it, he's nowhere near as technical or as versatile as Cung Le as a striker. He can hit and kick and has power everywhere, but when he's fighting another striker who is better than he is technically, like a Robbie Lawler or a Cung Le, he turns into a brawler. All technique goes out the window after he gets hit a few times, and then he starts looking for pay dirt with a big punch or kick.

As Cung Le obviously knows, sometimes it even works.

The problem with that in this particular fight is that Cung Le is too good to make that same mistake twice. He'll pick and choose his shots a lot more selectively this time around, and he certainly won't let his guard down late in the fight if he thinks he has Smith defeated.

Look for Cung to go to work on Smith's mid section and legs with his arsenal of kicks. He's extremely effective with those, and I think that's the best way for him to wear Smith down and get a finish.

Final prediction: Cung Le via TKO

145 lbs.: Cristiane "Cyborg" Santos vs. Jan "Cuddles" Finney

"Cyborg" is a wrecking machine that has finished all three of her opponents under the Strikeforce banner with strikes, including former Elite XC poster girl Gina Carano.

She doesn't appear to have a weakness, although she was submitted once, even if it was five years ago and her first professional fight. Finney is a puncher, though, and she won't be submitting "Cyborg" in this fight. I feel pretty safe in saying that.

Instead, "Cyborg" is going to be right at home in this fight because Finney is probably going to stand and trade with her. And in that type of fight, I haven't seen a female mixed martial artist yet that I would pick to beat Santos.

Finney is on a nice little four fight winning streak, but she's barely a .500 fighter throughout her career. And if you look even closer at her record, the four biggest named opponents she's faced (Shayna Baszler, Julie Kedzie, Miesha Tate and Erin Toughill) represent six of her seven losses.

"Cyborg" is the best female fighter in the world. Surely Strikeforce could have found a more suitable number one contender than "Cuddles." Although, her style should provide a decent highlight reel finish for the champion.

Final prediciton: Cyborg via knockout

155 lbs.: Josh "The Punk" Thomson vs. Pat "Bam Bam" Healy

This should be the most competitive fight on a card with a few too many one-sided match-ups.

Thomson is easily the better athlete and overall fighter, but Healy has been around for a long time and been in the cage with a lot of big name guys. He even has wins over some top welterweights like Carlos Condit, Paul Daley, and Dan Hardy.

Size and experience shouldn't be an issue for Thomson, though, since he's a rather large 155-pounder himself and he's seen action against some pretty stiff competition as well.

They're both strong guys with good wrestling and cage presence. The difference is going to be Thomson's speed, athleticism, and striking.

Healy was effective with his jab in his most recent Strikeforce outing against Travers, but he's going to have a hard time finding that range against Thomson, because "The Punk" is so fast and he's constantly moving his head and his feet.

Also, Thomson's kicks are another area for concern in the stand-up for Healy. Thomson can go upstairs with power or he can punish his opponents with leg kicks as well. Healy is over-matched as a striker here, and he won't win this fight if it turns into a kickboxing match.

"Bam Bam" is very good in the clinch, though, and that could be the one area that he could potentially give Thomson some trouble. I'm doubting his ability to take the ex-champ to the floor and keep him there, though, and that's going to be a problem in the eyes of the judges because the stand-up will be a clear advantage for Thomson.

Healy hasn't been finished in a fight in over three years, and this is easily the biggest opportunity he's had as a fighter since then. I expect him to come out with a win or die attitude, which should carry him through the full three rounds. Still, Thomson should take the decision.

Final prediction: Josh Thomson via unanimous decision.

That's a wrap. Sound off with your "Fedor vs. Werdum" predictions in the comments section below.

Daniel Herbertson brings the good news that Shigeyuki Uchiyama underwent multiple surgeries...

Posted: 25 Jun 2010 08:19 AM PDT

20100605-0405-1

Daniel Herbertson brings the good news that Shigeyuki Uchiyama underwent multiple surgeries utilizing veins from his thigh to successfully reattach his ear and has now been released from the hospital.

Strikeforce: 'Fedor vs Werdum' video preview on ESPN's 'MMA Live'

Posted: 25 Jun 2010 06:53 AM PDT

UFC 116: Forget the main event, 'Lights Out' wants you to remember 'Lytle vs Brown'

Posted: 25 Jun 2010 06:53 AM PDT

Chris1_medium

Props: The Herald Bulletin

Quoteworthy:

"I thought it was going to be an easy fight (the first time) and that wasn’t the case. [Matt Brown] was tough. I didn’t know what to expect out of him, but he was coming after me. He’s gonna try and knock me out and I’m gonna try to knock him out. That’s the kind of fights I want and (the UFC) gave me a guy I really wanted to fight. He’s improved just because of the experience he’s gained alone. He’s explosive and confident and he’s gonna come after me the same way I’m going after him. I like to fight on the big cards. I want people to be like ‘That main event was cool, but the real fight was the Lytle vs. Brown match.’ This fight should have everything. If you don’t like this, I don’t know why you’re watching."

Electrifying welterweight strikers Chris Lytle and Matt Brown will throw leather on the upcoming UFC 116: "Lesnar vs. Carwin" fight card on July 3 in Las Vegas in a bout that "Lights Out" is expecting to steal the show. "The Immortal" was choked out by the Indiana native when they met under the UFL banner back in 2007 and wants to not only get his revenge, but also be the first person to knock Lytle out. Will it remain standing long enough for that to happen? Or will Brown find his way on the wrong end of a slick submission much like Brian Foster did at UFC 110?

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